August 2026 in Review

I thought it would be fun to do a little recap of August! I’ve really been enjoying taking a moment at the end of each month to look back and see all that we did…or didn’t do lol!

And I have to mention—I cannot believe it’s already the last day of August! But honestly? I’m not sad about this one bit. August might just be my least favorite month of the entire year.

It’s extremely hot, muggy, and super wet here in Florida. Summer is ending, school begins, and did I mention that it’s HOT?! Like, step outside and immediately feel like you’ve walked into someone’s hot, steamy shower kind of hot. No joke.

Needless to say, I’m not exactly sad to see August go. 😂

So, September…I’m looking at you! Bring on a fresh month, the start of fall, and maybe—just maybe—a tiny bit of cooler weather?! A girl can dream!

But before I get too excited about September, let’s take a look back at August and everything we were up to!

Beginning of August

Our Annual Beach Weekend ☀️

We started the month off strong with our fun beach weekend with friends! And can I officially call it our annual beach weekend with friends if this was only our second year in a row doing it? I think so! 😂

It was such a fun weekend filled with lots of kids, lots of laughter, late nights, and so many memories made. We stayed at the Sandpearl on Clearwater Beach, which is only about 20–30 minutes from all of our homes since most of us live in Safety Harbor. And honestly, that might be one of my favorite parts about this little tradition!

No long drive. No major travel day. No crazy overpacking. Just pack up some swimsuits and head to the beach for a fun weekend with friends!

It was the perfect way to soak up those last few days of summer before heading back to school.

When we got back from our little staycation with friends, we tried our best to soak in every last bit of summer. And gosh, I was emotional about it ending this year! With Kate starting school for the first time, I think I was holding onto those last few summer days a little tighter than usual.

I absolutely loved getting to spend so much time with my girls this summer. Summers with them are truly my favorite. The slow mornings, our random little adventures, swimming, movie nights, trips, and even just the ordinary days at home together—I love it all.

Those girls truly are my whole world, and as excited as I was for everything ahead of them this school year, I just wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to our summer together. ❤️

While we were busy soaking up those last few days of summer, we were also very much in back-to-school mode! We spent those final days squeezing in all the things—haircuts, Meet the Teacher, getting school supplies organized, making sure uniforms fit, and all the other little things that somehow come along with getting two kids ready to head back to school.

It was definitely that funny in-between time where we were trying to hold onto summer while also getting excited and ready for a brand-new school year!

We also had a fun family baptism the weekend before school started!

Kate saw this tiger at Target and couldn’t stop talking about it, and she loved it so much!

Here are their first day of school notes!

And before I knew it…they were off on their way to the first day of school!

Oh gosh, this was a hard day for me! I was so proud of both girls and so excited for them, but sending Kate off to school for the first time after having someone home with me for the past eight years definitely hit me hard.

Thankfully, I was so blessed to have friends who knew exactly what I needed! After drop-off, we all headed to a friend’s house for a little back-to-school brunch. And truly, thank God I had them because boy oh boy, I needed the distraction that morning! 😂

There was something so comforting about spending those first few kid-free hours with other moms who totally understood all the emotions that come along with sending your babies back to school. ❤️

And before we knew it, it was a continuous cycle of waking up and going to school…the schedule kicked in very fast!

And I got started on learning to take care of myself and declutter our home!

Haircut was up first!

And running lots of errands faster than I ever thought I could in my life lol!

Turns out running around by yourself is much faster than running around with a little one in tow!

Soon birthday parties started filling our lives again too!

I loved starting to see all the Halloween fun out in stores too!

The rain this month was also relentless. It seriously rained so so hard almost every afternoon!

Then I was randomly on the news one morning this month.

Then, oh my goodness, Dolly Parton passed away.

And at the very end of the month, I finally grabbed my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season from Starbucks and gosh, it was delicious!! I had been trying my best to hold off on all things pumpkin until September, but apparently I couldn’t make it those last few days. 😂

And with that, August comes to an end!

August was a good month. It brought the end of summer, the beginning of a brand-new school year, lots of emotions, time with friends, and plenty of little everyday moments in between.

But now I’m ready for September! Bring on the pumpkins, slightly cooler mornings (please, Florida?!), football, and all the fun that comes with a fresh new month. Happy September, friends! 🎃

-Holley